Aveiro is situated 68 km to the south of [[Oporto]] and 58 km north of Coimbra,straddling the "ria" Aveiro and the river Vouga a few kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Aveiro has a population of approximately 57,000 inhabitants. Part of the city is full of canals, bridges, and painted boats called ''moliceiros'', similar to the gondolas of [[Venice]]. For this reason, the city is sometimes called the "Portuguese Venice", although the comparison is a bit exaggerated. The city is home to one of Portugal's most important universities. However, the real charm of Aveiro lies in its coast, with its fantastic sandy beaches. Ihavo, another city near Aveiro also has some beautiful beaches, like Barra and Costa Nova.

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Aveiro is situated 68 km to the south of [[Porto]] and 58 km north of Coimbra,straddling the "ria" Aveiro and the river Vouga a few kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Aveiro has a population of approximately 57,000 inhabitants. Part of the city is full of canals, bridges, and painted boats called ''moliceiros'', similar to the gondolas of [[Venice]]. For this reason, the city is sometimes called the "Portuguese Venice", although the comparison is a bit exaggerated. The city is home to one of Portugal's most important universities. However, the real charm of Aveiro lies in its coast, with its fantastic sandy beaches. Ihavo, another city near Aveiro also has some beautiful beaches, like Barra and Costa Nova.

Aveiro has humid yet temperate climate, coolish in the summer and not so cold in winter. November, December, and January make up the rainy season, while July and August are the driest months. Autumn and Winter tend to have strong coastal winds.

Aveiro has humid yet temperate climate, coolish in the summer and not so cold in winter. November, December, and January make up the rainy season, while July and August are the driest months. Autumn and Winter tend to have strong coastal winds.

Contents

Understand

Aveiro is situated 68 km to the south of Porto and 58 km north of Coimbra,straddling the "ria" Aveiro and the river Vouga a few kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Aveiro has a population of approximately 57,000 inhabitants. Part of the city is full of canals, bridges, and painted boats called moliceiros, similar to the gondolas of Venice. For this reason, the city is sometimes called the "Portuguese Venice", although the comparison is a bit exaggerated. The city is home to one of Portugal's most important universities. However, the real charm of Aveiro lies in its coast, with its fantastic sandy beaches. Ihavo, another city near Aveiro also has some beautiful beaches, like Barra and Costa Nova.

Aveiro has humid yet temperate climate, coolish in the summer and not so cold in winter. November, December, and January make up the rainy season, while July and August are the driest months. Autumn and Winter tend to have strong coastal winds.

Get in

By car

The city is connected to Autoroute 1 (A1) which is the main road of the country.

By train

A newly inaugurated central train station is positioned near the center of the city, with regional and fast trains to most chief cities, such as; Porto, Coimbra, Lisbon.

By bus

There are coaches that connect Aveiro to a lot of Portuguese cities and also cities in Spain.

Get around

On foot

Aveiro is easily navigable on foot. The local bus terminal can be found about 15 minutes walk from the canal zone.

By bicycle

A very convenient way to see Aveiro is to use the BUGA (Free-use Bicycles of Aveiro) service. There are 33 BUGA stations spread about the city. If there are bicycles available, you simply insert a 1€ coin to disengage the bike from the lock. Bikes can be used within a certain BUGA area of the city, delimited by signs. When you are finished with the bike, just return it to any station and you will get your 1€ coin refunded.

By bus

The Aveiro City Tour bus loops past the principal tourist zones and monuments of the city.

See

Aveiro Cathedral

Convento de Jesús

Aveiro Museum

Igreja de la Misericordia

Cámara Municipal

Capitania

Santo Antonio Park

Dom Pedro Children's Park

Sao Gonçalinho Chapel

Museum of the Republic

Carmelite Church

Fish Market

Fisherman's Wharf (Bairro de Pescadores) at the seaside

Do

Surf at Costa Nova Beach

Windsurf on the river.

Moliceiro tours - leaving from the central canal.

Buy

Forum Aveiro,(shopping mall) the central market, is situated downtown near the canals. Shops are open daily until 11PM.

Vista Alegre - Famous and somewhat pricey local ceramics. You can also visit the Vista Alegre factory in the neighboring municipality of Ilhavo, 10 km away.

Eat

Ovos moles - A traditional product made from egg yolk. Sold at most of the local bakeries.

The area with the most restaurants sits between the Old Neighborhood (Bairro Antigo) and the fish market plaza (Mercado do Peixe). There are also some decent restaurants and seafood shops at Barra and Costa Nova beaches.

Budget

Café Ramona, Rua Eça de Queirós, 12. Frequented by students and youths, this place offers perhaps the best hamburgers in town. Try the hamburguesa Ramona.

Ferro, Rua Tenente Resende 30. Very close to the fish market, this place serves meat and fish dishes at affordable prices.

Barrigas, Rua Eng. Von Haff, 36-C. Popular restaurant where the special is "francesinhas", a dish more typical of Oporto. It is a type of ham, meat and cheese sandwich covered in melted cheese and a spicy sauce. Flame-roasted meats are also on offer, and you might catch some live Brazilian music.

Drink

The most famous area for night bars is Praça do Peixe (fish plaza).Here you will find a good variety of bars typically open til 3 am in winter, and 4 am in summer. Note that all the bars in Praça do Peixe have free entrance. Clubs are best on Friday and Saturday nights from 1 am to 5 am. Women usually pay no admission fees, but for men it is usually around 5 euros. Drinks are fairly cheap, around 4 or 5 euros. Try a caipirinha with strawberries (morangos).

Botirão, Canal de São Roque (near Praça do Peixe). Great sangria and bossa nova in a clean and beautiful traditional style bar. Sangria costs 7 euros and has a very mild taste, but don't be fooled-- it packs a punch.

Clube 8, Canal do Paraiso, [4]. The only club in the city center, open til 8 am.

Estaçao da Luz, [6]. Somewhat outside of town, this is the dance club preferred by the locals. House with some mainstream pop as well. One of the smaller dancefloors/bars features salsa music. It is somewhat selective, so it is possible that tourists are sometimes denied entry.

Mercado Negro, Praça do Peixe. An alternative space with a bar, good music, and modern design in an old art nouveau building.

Quest, [7]. This club is on the outskirts of Aveiro, in a small city called Oia (also an industrial area). This club has four floors and 5 bars. One bar is outside, there is a nice terrace with patio furniture. The dance floor has lights, a large TV screen, and features mostly house music.

Sleep

Budget

There are numerous pensions which charge less than 30€ per night.

Mid-range

Pousada de Torreira / Murtosa - Ria de Aveiro, Nature Hotel, Bico do Muranzel 3870-301 Torreira, ☎+351-234 860 180 ([email protected], fax: +351-234 838 333), [1]. Located in the isthmus that connects Murtosa to the beaches of São Jacinto, the Pousada de Murtosa Torreira, Ria de Aveiro is set in a preserved area with a unique natural beauty. Surrounded by water, this is the ideal spot for fishing, water sports or going to the beautiful beaches which are near the Costa Nova's typical colourful houses.

Hotel Afonso V, Rua Dr. Manuel das Neves 65. Situated 10 minutes on foot from the town center, this hotel has a good quality-to-price ration. The hotel has two annexes, one of which is a little older with cheaper and more simple accommodations.